To this day, the Chiron name bears a special symbolism within the Formula One universe – the Monegasque racing driver Louis Chiron still holds the title of the oldest driver to compete in a Grand Prix race at age 56. Bugatti chose the name as the eponym for its most exhilarating series to date. This 300+ mph missile has now bowed for one last reverence to Planet Piston. The 500th example in the Chiron series is finished – L’Ultime is the end of an astounding era for both the manufacturer and the automotive world.
On February 29, 2016, the Chiron debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, and it completely reset the performance standards for all automobiles. Sure, there were fast cars before it and luxury cars far more opulent than the then-new Bugatti model, but none had mastered both with the prowess of the French-born brand.
If it were to be a worthy heir to the throne, the Chiron had to climb high above the already surreal peaks reached by its spiritual forefather, the legendary Veyron that came onto this world two decades ago. The Chiron stood up to the name in style, boasting 1,480 horsepower (1,500 PS) and 1,475 lb-ft (2,000 Nm) from its eight-liter sixteen-cylinder W-arranged motor.
A few months later, at the fabled 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Chiron proved its worth by lapping the historic track ahead of the start of the race, doing a low fly-by at 380 kph (236 mph) on the main straight. In front of a crowd of a quarter-million car enthusiasts, the Bugatti Chiron stole the show completely by simply being the fastest car present – its top speed vastly out-paced the best performance of the fastest race car (343.4 kph / 213 mph).
Photo: Bugatti
Over its wight-year production, the Chiron has seen many iterations, spin-offs, and variants, each more outstanding than the other. Its culminating point arrived in 2019 when a prototype Chron Super Sport 300+ was recorded going flat out at 304.773 mph (490,484 kph). All in all, six variations of the original Chiron were built: Chiron, Chiron Sport, Chiron Pur Sport, Chiron Super Sport, Chiron Super Sport 300+, and Les Légendes du Ciel.
The Chiron was the first production car to boast 1,500 PS (1,600 PS in its Super Sport 300+ demeanor) and the first to break the magical 300-mph barrier while also setting a new goal for everyone out there: the 500-kph milestone (310.68 mph). Perhaps not coincidentally, Bugatti also revealed a car capable of going above that bar—the Bolide (but we were still waiting for a certified top-speed run of that mind-blowing automobile).
After eight glorious years, the 500-unit production run of the Chiron family has come full circle, with the last example paying homage to every single one of its ancestors. Christened ‘L’Ultime’ (The Ultimate, in French), the farewell Chiron, hand-assembled by the same craftspeople in Molsheim as the other 499 examples, leaves the arena, paving the way for the next chapter in the company's history. Its yet-unnamed successor is powered by a V16 engine aided by an electric-motor architecture.
Photo: Bugatti
The new car has already been introduced to a group of select customers, as the CEO of Bugatti-Rimac, Mate Rimac, has revealed during a video call with a Rimac Nevera owner. The young Croatian only conveyed the information but hasn’t shown the next Bugatti car yet. The unwrapping is set for this June, so L’Ultime’s appearance is also a build-up of momentum for the mysterious new Bugatti.
The Ultimate is a Chiron Super Sport dressed to allude to the very first example that took center stage in Geneva eight years ago. The primal Chiron was coated in a combination of ‘Atlantic Blue’ over the front half with ‘French Racing Blue’ at the back, delimited by a sweeping C-bar (the famous Bugatti line).
L’Ultime takes the same chromatic cues, but this time, the car's front section is painted in the dark shade of navy blue. Fading from French Racing Blue to Atlantic Blue, the colors extend to the wheels that now match the corresponding colors over the front and the back.
Photo: Bugatti
The famous Bugatti macaron, the iconic emblem adorning the horseshoe grille, was designed and crafted exclusively for this last example of the legendary car. Unlike all other Chirons, this one has a blue badge between its signature eight-eye headlamps (the standard Bugatti emblem is red).
The car's body is covered in scripting, evoking places and events that contributed to the Chiron legacy. From its world debut in Geneva and appearances at Chantilly to testing sessions at the Paul Ricard circuit and the 300-mph run at the Ehra-Lessien testing track in Germany, it’s all there.
The Bugatti home in Molsheim, the Château Saint Jean, or Cape Canaveral (where several customers got a high-speed rush of adrenaline in the seat of their Chirons), the car is a tribute to all the moments and places in its past.
Photo: Bugatti
The sides, wheel caps, rear wing, center console, and engine cover housing have hand-written numerals – the ‘500' is the final curtain in the Chiron saga. Although Bugatti is no longer the company founded by Ettore 115 years ago, the French flag adorns the side mirrors – a nod to the origins of the carmaker that’s now a part of the Volkswagen Auto Group portfolio, albeit under the Bugatti Rimac joint venture.
A complicated hand-cut, hand-woven, hand-stitched ‘Deep Blue’ leather covers the door panels, in line with the tradition of bespoke craftsmanship of the Chiron – and every other Bugatti automobile ever. L’Ultime leaves the spotlight as the culmination of an automotive masterpiece and an engineering display of mastery, refinement, and excellence.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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